Posted on 12/21/2007 5:59:02 AM PST by Between the Lines
Two former prison employees have filed federal lawsuits against South Carolina Department of Corrections director Jon Ozmint and another official, saying they were forced to perform executions in order to keep leadership positions.
Ira Baxley and Terry Bracey say they were not trained properly to perform the executions or given counseling, according to the lawsuits, both filed Tuesday.
Baxley, a 22-year prison employee, was a major in charge of the SWAT team. Bracey was a security division major and a 23-year employee, according to the lawsuits.
Baxley's suit claims that operations director Robert Ward "made it clear that (Baxley) could not acquire and hold the team leader position unless he agreed to act as an executioner of condemned inmates, a position which was outwardly represented as 'voluntary.'" In his suit, Bracey says he told Ward he did not want to perform executions, but Ward did not look for a replacement until earlier this year, after another executioner committed suicide.
When Baxley told Ozmint he was concerned about performing executions, the director told him "that if he did not like it, he could transfer" - something Baxley's lawsuit claims would have meant losing his position and pay grade.
Baxley executed at least eight inmates, according to court documents. Bracey's lawsuit does not give a specific number.
Prisons spokesman Josh Gelinas told The (Columbia) State for a story in Thursday's editions that the men's allegations are false but declined to comment further.
Baxley and Bracey also claim that they told Ward earlier this year that then-prison security chief Michael Sheedy was using his work computer to share pornography. In his lawsuit, Baxley says Sheedy then "began a relentless campaign of retaliation" against him, keeping him out of meetings and "creating a hostile and abusive work environment."
Sheedy retired in May.
Baxley and Bracey are suing for loss of quality of life, shock, humiliation and embarrassment, and loss of earning capacity. Lewis Cromer, an attorney representing both men, told the paper he was unaware of any similar lawsuits.
Bracey is seeking up to $5 million in damages. Baxley is seeking up to $1 million. Both men took disability retirement this summer, according to their lawsuits.
You knew what the job entailed when you took it. If you couldn’t handle it, you should have gone elsewhere.
Honest to God, the stupidity of these two defies explanation.
Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa, I took a job that required me to execute imates that had been sentenced to death, and they made me do my job. Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa...
And that they were given no training or counseling is particularly bad. Just what we need, botched executions and screwed-up guards that give ammo to the leftists.
It goes to show you anyone can sue for anything.
You can also bet your last dollar someone is behind this. Those two didn’t think of this by themselves.
And the litigation lotto scratcher says???
Do you really buy the idea that these two were put in the position of executing inmates with no training whatsoever? I ure don’t. As for counciling, I’m not a big fan. It screws up as many people as it helps IMO.
If these guys didn’t want to execute inmates, they took the wrong job.
Give them each a settlement and nullify their tax free disability pension. Bet that makes it all go away.
Actually, yes. There are bad managers everywhere.
If these guys didn’t want to execute inmates, they took the wrong job.
They didn't take jobs as executioners, they gook jobs as guards -- with the provision that participation in executions was voluntary.
But this opinion is just for the legal standing of the case. As you saw my personal opinion is more along the lines of yours. Any citizen who is against capital punishment shouldn't be working for the institution that carries it out. Any citizen who is for capital punishment should be willing to pull the switch himself, or he is a hypocrite.
Thanks for the response. You may be right, but I have no sympathy for these two. If you join a body of people who are tasked to do the dirty work, then you better be willing to do some of the dirty work. IMO they joined for more pay, and then ducked the dirty work. That’s not fair to the other guards.
They should ask for volunteers from among the relatives and friends of the murder victim(s). Problem solved!
To be fair, I do live in Texas.
And God Bless Texas.
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